Recession's in the air, American exports are enticingly cheap, and Washington could badly use a solid ally in Latin America.

These are all good reasons to support a free-trade pact with Colombia, which the White House has negotiated and brought to Congress.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is playing politics by pandering to free-trade foes. Instead of accepting the usual fast-track process of voting up or down on the treaty within 90 days, she plans to rip up these rules and sidetrack the matter.

It's not hard to guess why. She's clearing the field of a painful Democratic dilemma: backing wider trade that unions fear will threaten their jobs. Remember the contorted debate on the eve of the Ohio primary between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton over who was more hard-line in opposing the NAFTA trade treaty with Mexico?

With the Pennsylvania primary coming on April 22, Pelosi would like to remove any chance of an awkward rerun, even if the Colombia pact is far smaller than the NAFTA package. It must be an awkward talk that Pelosi has with herself on free trade: She's from an export-heavy region with ports, open-door universities, worldwide businesses and a diverse population.

Both Democratic front-runners are engaged in the same dance. An Obama aide drew fire for discussing NAFTA with Canadian officials, who reflected in a later memo that the senator's anti-free-trade stance was a pose. Last week, Clinton demoted longtime political savant Mark Penn, who hired himself out as a lobbyist to the Colombian government. Adding to the duplicity is the fact that Clinton's husband favors free trade, including the Colombian deal. The GOP's likely presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, backs the treaty.

It's easy to divert the debate into righteous denunciation of Colombia's dismal human rights record, which includes the harassment and death of union organizers. Also, the White House's congressional approval path plainly stings Pelosi because it calls for a yes-or-no vote on the plan without any House amendments allowed. But these fast-track rules have been the norm since 1994, making the timing of her opposition look even more politically inspired.

The treaty - and the warmer relations it brings - has overwhelming advantages. Approval would show that Washington believes in supporting an ally ready to stand up to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Closer trade ties could cement gains made by Colombia's fragile democratic government.

In an uncertain economic atmosphere, lower tariffs could lay the groundwork for a healthy recovery.

There may be more trouble ahead. A similar plan to lower tariffs with South Korea, a far bigger economic power, is coming next. Pushing that treaty away would be an even bigger mistake.